Cambridgeshire parents find out which primary school their child has been offered today

Today is National Offers Day for tens of thousands of parents across the UK

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Parents across the country find out today which primary school their child will be going to in September.

Tuesday, April 18 is National Offer Day and councils will let parents know at which school their four-year-old has been allocated a place.

The majority of mums and dads will find out today but some parents may already have been notified via email.

Hundreds of parents across Cambridgeshire have attempted to access the council's citizens' portal page, which was reportedly down for a brief period this morning due to the high number of people trying to log in.

But council press officer Eleanor Bell said the page was up and running again by 8am and it wasn't down for very long.

The wait can be stressful - especially for those parents who aren't offered places at their preferred school at the end of it.

Union bosses warn a national of shortage school places is causing misery for some families, who face long journeys to school or have to taxi siblings to separate schools.

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “We are facing the worst shortage of school places for decades. It is resulting in overcrowded classrooms, often in makeshift buildings that are squeezing out space for playgrounds, for art rooms or music spaces.

“All children should have the right to go to a local school and to be taught by qualified teachers. Government policies are standing in the way of both of these fundamental rights.

“Local councils have had pupil place planning powers removed from them. They can’t open new schools; they can’t direct academies to expand. They don’t have sufficient capital funding to help other schools expand.”

What to do if your child doesn't get the place you want?

Parents are legally entitled to appeal against the admission authority’s decision to refuse a place at your preferred schools.

Accepting a place at another school should not affect your child’s place on the reserve list for the preferred school, or your right to appeal.

Appeals are heard by an independent school admission appeals panel. For more information, visit the council website here.

How to appeal

To appeal the council's decision, visit the Apply for a school place page on Cambridgeshire County Council's website and click on 'admissions appeals'.

Scroll down, and you will find a primary schools appeals form, which you will need to fill in and return to the council.